Patterning mechanism for knitting machines

ABSTRACT

A PATTERNING DEVICE IN A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A ROTARY PATTERN CONTROLLING MEMBER FITTED WITH INTERCHANGEABLE PATTERNING MEANS AND DRIVEN AT A CONSTANT SPEED SUITABLY RELATED TO THE SPEED OF ROTARY KNITTING, SELECTOR LEVERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SAID PATTERNING MEANS TO ACT ON BUTTS OF INSTRUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEEDLES, AND MEANS FOR BLUFFING DIFFERENT GROUPS OF SELECTOR LEVERS AS AND WHEN REQUIRED, SAID BLUFFING MEANS BEING SELECTED FOR ACTUATION AT APPROPRIATE TIMES FROM A CONTROL DRUM OR CHAIN OF THE MACHINE.

Oct. 5, 1971 HARRls ETAL 3,609,995

PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 6, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet l 4 W i; 22c Q Q I 5 U, q

4 l2c 7 k M I 'no TO MAIN FIG. I.

Oct. 5, 1971 J HARRls ETAL 3,609,995

PATTERNING' MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 5, 1971 J HARRls EI'AL 3,609,995

PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 (5-1111 11111111111111111111111111111111111 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I v 1 I v l 1 1 1 u nqqg 1 1 1 11| 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11111 T 1111 111111111 11 l l 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111u1I| 1 1..1uiuu1 Lm.1.1 !J LLU.1.1 1 .|JJ Lu.LU

FIGS.

Oct. 5, 1971 D. J. HARRIS EI'AL PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Feb. 1969 FIC14.

Patented Oct. 5, 1971 3,609,995 PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Denis John Harris, Leicester, and Peter Michael Findlay, Leicester Forest East, England, assignors to The lientley Machine Development Company Limited, Leicester, England Filed Feb. 6, 1969, Ser. No. 797,168 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Feb. 10, 1968, 6,724/ 68 Int. Cl. D04b 15/74 US. Cl. 6650 6 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A patterning device in a circular knitting machine having a rotary pattern controlling member fitted with interchangeable patterning means and driven at a constant speed suitably related to the speed of rotary knitting, selector levers associated with the said patterning means to act on butts of instruments associated with the needles, and means for bluffing different groups of selector levers as and when required, said blufling means being selected for actuation at appropriate times from a control drum or chain of the machine.

This invention is for improvements in patterning mechanism for knitting machines and is concerned more particularly with mechanism such as is used in circular knitting machines, for example in machines used for the production of ladies hose.

A known form of patterning device is used in machines for knitting ladies hose is a patterning drum having set out in predetermined arrangement around its periphery rows of pins or pattern bits for the control of patterning levers associated with the needle cylinder and indexed by a racking mechanism during operation of the machine. Such patterning devices are not altogether suitable for use on machines operated at high speeds since they would require rapidly succeeding increments of movement in the racking action which would set up considerable reaction and tend to limit the speed of operation. Moreover, when changing a pattern, re-arrangement of the pins or pattern bits in the drum is required and this is a time-consuming procedure. When more than one pattern arrangement is set out at difierent vertical levels as is often the case on machines for producing ladies hose it has previously been necessary to provide a separate control of each blank of patterning levers to blank out unwanted banks of them. The invention seeks to provide a patterning means which is particularly applicable for use with machines operated at high speed, and also one in which some or all of the aforementioned disadvantages are largely or wholly circumvented.

In accordance with the invention there is provided in a circular knitting machine a patterning device comprising a rotary pattern controlling member fitted with interchangeable patterning means, means for driving said rotary member and patterning means at a constant speed suitably related to the speed of rotary knitting, selector levers associated with the patterning means of the rotary member for acting on butts of instruments associated with the needles, and means for blufiing diiierent groups of selector levers as and when required, said blufling means being adapted for selective actuation at appropriate times from a sequence control means (e.g. a control drum or chain) of the machine. Thus the invention provides an arrangement in which the pattern means is continuously rotated and is therefore suitable for high speed operation, the selective blufiing control being required to be actuated only at relatively widely spaced intervals.

Conveniently the patterning means on the rotary member is formed by an assembly of interchangeable superposed patterning discs each provided at appropriate positions with peripheral projections. The selector levers may be provided each with two angularly offset followers one of which cooperates with a related pattern disc and the other of which is acted on by the blufling means. The arrangement may be such that deflection of each selector lever by a projection on its patterning disc moves it against the action of a return spring away from co-operation with instrument butts provided at the level of that lever. Thus when the blufiing means deflects a selector lever similarly it will hold the lever out of engagement with its pattern disc.

in one form of construction the blufiing means comprises a drum set up with longitudinally extending plates or bars for co-operation with followers on the selector levers for the purpose of bluffing their action, such plates or bars being cut away a the levels of selector levers which are not required to be blutfed when the particular plate or bar is moved into position to co-operate with the selector levers. The drum carrying such plates or bars may be provided with racking means which is controlled, e.g. blutfed or unblufied, from a main control means on the machine at appropriate times when a change of patterning selection is needed. Other forms of blufiing means may however be employed for example electronically operated means which may serve to act on the selector levers in any convenient manner.

The provisions of invention will now be described as applied in one form by way of example to a single cylinder knitting machine of the type used for making ladies hose, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view partly in section showing the patterning mechanism in position adjacent to the needle cylinder,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of some of the rlrlrecllilanism shown in FIG. 1 taken on the section line FIG. 3 is a developed view of part of the needle cylinder showing a typical selector butt set-out, and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view showing a modification.

In single cylinder machines for knitting hose the pat terning means is used to cause needles to follow tracks suitable for knitting, for tucking and for floating. Such needle selection is not only used for the creation of pattern effects but is also used for certain fundamental manufacturing requirements such as needle selection for the make-up courses or to provide a picot edge to the welt. An article of hosiery may require one needle selection for make-up, another for a picot edge, a different selection for a garter band, and a still further selection of needles for micromesh or other decorative knit, tuck or float patterns.

A typical set-out of needle selector butts is shown in the developed view, FIG. 3. The two bands of butts D1 and D2 are for a garter band. The butts E in the single line are to cause interlacing of yarn ends when making yarn change. Butts F1 and F2 are for micromesh patterns and the single row of butts G is to produce a one and one miss and knit selection for the make-up. Other rows of butts are shown which serve to produce certain eiTects which need not be described in detail.

It will be noted that bands of rows D1 and D2 are staggered so that the half circle of butts D2 extends over half the circumference of the cylinder shown as L at a difterent level to the half circle of butts D1 which extends over the other half of the cylinder shown as C. Likewise the band of butts F1 is staggered relatively to the band F2. A reason for this staggering is to provide spaces on the cylinder which are devoid of butts to enable the selector levers to be inserted and withdrawn. It also allows patterns to be commenced and finished on one particular predetermined needle.

Acting on these butts to depress them from non-knitting, or not to depress them for knitting or tucking at the next knitting station, are selector levers 12, FIG. 1, which have cam followers 12b and 12c. These selector levers are stacked to align one with each height of butts on the selecting instruments. The lever followers 120 are acted upon by pattern discs 11a, the stack of pattern discs being clamped together to form a drum 11 and gear driven in timed relationship to the needle cylinder. The other lever followers 12b are acted upon to bluff out of action some or all of the selector levers. The bluffing mechanism comprises a small, vertically slotted, cylindrical, rack driven drum 15, the vertical slots being fitted with suitable bluffing bars 14. The drum commences and ceases racking upon suitable control signals from the main control drum or chain of the machine.

The selector levers 12 are therefore controlled by two drums, drum 11, which takes the place of the usual pin drum, and drum 15 which has an overriding effect on the selector levers to cancel (or blank out) sections of drum 11. By providing bluffing bars 14 of selected lengths which are inserted lengthwise in the slots of drum 15 (see FIG. 2) it is possible to hold the groups or blanks of selector levers aligned with unwanted rows of butts such as D1, D2, E and G etc., away from their associated pattern discs 11a, and only allow the discs controlling levers 12 which are aligned with butts such as F1 and F2 to act on the followers 12c.

The pattern selection device is located on a support bracket 1 fixed to the machine bedplate 2. The needle cylinder shown at 3 is equipped with needles and needle selectors, in a conventional manner, the selectors being arranged, when pressed into the cylinder tracks, to cause their associated needles to be selected for non-knitting, and when left unpressed, to select needles for knitting or tucking as required. The needle selectors are provided with butts 4 at different levels and, depending upon the patterning requirements of the article to be knitted, certain of the butts are broken off. Shown in FIG. 1 are the particular butts for only one height of a typical pattern setout.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the selector levers 12 are pivotally mounted on a post 25 and the drums 11 and 15 are rotatably mounted on posts 2 6 and 27 respectively, all of the posts 25, 26 and 27 being fixed to the support bracket 1.

Located around and near the bottom of the needle cylinder 3 is a gear which drives the pattern disc assembly through a chain of gears 6, 7, 8, 9 and '10. The pattern discs 11a lift individual selector levers 12 into inoperative position (shown dotted) or allow them to drop into operative position (shown in full lines). The selector levers are urged by springs 23, 23a into operative position, just clear of the needle cylinder, and are located clear of the cylinder by an adjustable stop plate 13 which engages with faces 12a on the selector levers 12. The springs 23 act on alternate ones of the selector levers at positions displaced one way from the pivot post 25 while the springs 23a act on the intervening selector levers at positions displaced the other way from said post. Springs 23 and 23a extend respectively from anchorage posts 28 and '29 fixed to support bracket 1. This alternate arrangement of springs extending opposite ways allows the selector levers to be positioned with the required degree of proximity to one another. Followers 12b of the selector levers are acted upon by the bluff bars 14 (which are located in vertical slots in the drum 15), in order either to swing groups of selector levers 12 out of operative position or to allow predetermined groups of selector levers to move under the action of their under springs into operative position.

Attached to the bottom of the bluff drum 15 is a rack wheel 16 which is racked by a racking lever 17 acted on by a spring 30 and pivoted by shoulder screw 18 to a lever 19. Nose 19a of the lever 19 is urged by spring 20 onto an eccentric cam 21 which is adjustably attached to gears 6 and 7.

Operated by a cable 24 from the machines main control drum or chain is a rack bluff plate 22, which has two heights of bluffing. Full height of bluffing 22a stops the rackwheel 16 immediately, While the lowest height 22b of the rack bluff plate 22 allows continuous racking. Middle height 22c of the rack bluff plate allows the rackwheel to continue only to a pre-determined position, that is the end of a pattern sequence, for one article as determined by the special low-cut tooth 16a of the rackwheel.

It can be seen from this description that there is provided in the example just described one or more patterning mechanisms having a bank of pattern discs continuously driven in synchronization with the rotation of the needle cylinder, and an intermittently racked bluffing drum, both units controlling the selector levers which determine which needles shall knit or shall not kn-it. Several pattern arrangements may be set out, one above the other, on the needle cylinder selector butts, and on the associated pattern discs, and a bluff bar is provided on the bluffing drum at the appropriate position and of the appropriate length to bluff out those areas of the pattern arrangements not required at any one time. The racking of the bluffing drum is controlled by one track of the main control drum or chain.

As the patterning mechanism is easily accessible on the knitting machine a quick and easy pattern change can be effected by changing pattern discs and bluffing bars. It should also be mentioned that the pattern discs 11a are provided with more than one keyway so that identical discs may be'used at different levels but with their lobes in various angular relationships to each other.

Instead of employing a bluff drum such as 15 there may be provided a quadrant or sector of a drum, carrying the bluffing plates 14, which is moved in turn to its several active positions by a cable such as 24 operated by a follower engaging cams of different heights on the main control drum. FIG. 4 shows such a modified arrangement having a drum sector 31 replacing the blufling drum 15 and fitted with seven blufiing plates 14 to cooperate with the levers 12. The drum sector 31 is pivoted on the post 27 and has an operating arm 32 coupled by an anchorage 33 to one end of a Bowden cable 34 having a sheath 35. The other end of cable 34 is coupled to an anchorage 36 to one arm 37 of a double armed lever 37, 38 pivoted to a fixed post 39. The other arm 38 of the lever 37, 38 forms a cam follower to engage with cams 40a, 40b and 40c of different heights on a main control drum 41. A tension spring 42 acting on arm 32 maintains the cable 34 taut and the follower 38 in engagement with the cams.

What we claim is:

1. In a circular knitting machine, the combination comprising: a rotatably mounted needle cylinder equipped with needles and related patterning instruments having butts operable to perform a rotary knitting operation; a rotatably mounted pattern controlling member; interchangeable patterning means removably attached to said controlling member; means for rotationally driving said controlling member and its patterning means in timed relationship with the speed of rotary knitting; a bank of selector levers cooperative with said patterning means for individually acting on said butts of the patterning instruments; bluffing means for bluffing different groups of selector levers in accordance with the patterning requirement comprising; a drum sector longitudinally extending bluffing bars engageable with said selector levers, and means for pivoting said drum sector selectively position different bluffing bars in position to engage with said selector levers.

2. In a circular knitting machine having a rotatably mounted needle cylinder equipped with needles and related patterning instruments having butts operable to perform a rotary knitting operation, and main control means; the combination of a pattern controlling drum mounted for rotation about an axis and comprising interchangeable patterning elements, means for continuously rotationally driving said pattern controlling drum and its patterning elements in timed relationship With said needle cylinder, 2. bank of selector levers movable individually between an active position in which they act on said butts of said patterning instruments and an inactive nosition and cooperating with said patterning elements of said pattern controlling drum for individually moving said selector levers, and blufiing means for bluffing different groups of selector levers in accordance with patterning requirements comprising a drum mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of said pattern controlling drum and comprising a plurality of interchangeable blufling elements, means controlled by said main control means for intermittently rotationally moving said blnffing drum; each of said selector levers having a first arm engageable with a patterning element of said controlling drum for movement of said selector lever between active and inactive position and a second arm engageable with a bluifing element of said bluffing drum for holding said first arm out of engagement with said patterning element, said bluffing drum having in its periphery a plurality of circumferentially spaced parallel longitudinally extending slots, and said blulfing elements comprising blufiing bars of selected lengths set lengthwise in said slots and each engageable with said second arms of selected ones of said selector levers and not engageable with said second arms of other selector levers.

3. A combination according to claim 2, wherein said means for intermittently moving said blutfing drum comprises a rack wheel fixed coaxially on said bluffing drum, racking means engageable with said rack Wheel to move said drum intermittently an angular distance equal to the circumferential spacing of said blufling bars, and means controlled by said main control means for selectively rendering said racking means alternatively effective and ineffective.

4. A combination according to claim 2, wherein said patterning elements comprise an assembly of interchangeable superposed patterning discs each provided at appropriate positions with peripheral projections engageable with said first arms of corresponding said selector levers.

5. A combination according to claim 4, including spring means acting individually on said selector levers to urge them into said active position for cooperation with said butts of said patterning instruments, said projcetions of said patterning discs being engageable with said first arms of said selector levers to move said levers to inactive position against the action of said spring means.

6. A combination according to claim 2, including spring means acting individually on said selector levers to urge them into said active position for cooperation with butts of said patterning instruments, said blulfing bars being engageable with said second arms of said selector levers to hold said levers in inactive position against the action of said spring means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,025,463 12/1935 Lombardi 66-50 A 2,694,908 11/ 1954 Lawson 66-50 3,076,326 2/1963 Mazzi 66-50 B 3,148,518 9/1964 Peel et al 6650 B X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,335,710 7/1963 France 6650 B 0 Wm. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 66l56 

